Walkerville’s Donjuan ‘The Iron Dragon’ van Heerden has set his sights on dominating his next fight against Eastern Cape middleweight champion Durandt Verwey.
Van Heerden was recently named Boxing SA 2023 Prospect of the Year winner when he received the award at the South African Boxing Awards on June 30 in Durban.
In the past few months, he became the Gauteng champ when he went head-on with Nelson Mbhele in Auckland Park.
Fighting in the middleweight division, Van Heerden said this was his first award as a professional fighter.
“I’m thrilled to win this award as I have put in the work and it has definitely paid off. My activity and performance has been the key factor to this achievement and my manager who keeps me busy with fights, I’m blessed,” he said.
He will again be in action in an eight-round bout on July 21 in Unleashed Combat Sport’s tournament at the Portuguese Hall in Turffontein.
“I have an upcoming fight against Durandt Verwey, an Eastern Cape champ, with me also being the Gauteng champ. There is a lot of pride at stake for this fight as we are both provincial champions. I do believe that on the night I’ll be the better fighter and walk away with the win,” Van Heerden said.
He also thanked his supporters and sponsors for their continuous support and for making sure that he is always in shape for his fights.
“Thank you to MK8 Diamond Security, GST SA, Anarchy Monster Bullies, Advanced IT Solutions, My-Fi, Pot Unos Infamous Hotsauces, Ynot Connect, Guniwheel, SASL, and the Midvaal Municipality,” he said.
Leading boxing manager Colleen McAusland of McAusland Boxing Management said he has made steady strides in his career to prove that he is a well-deserved prospect of the year.
“Donjuan is a well-deserved winner despite all the negativity around the awards of certain categories that were not deserving, namely, the manager of the year and promoter of the year.
“I’m very pleased he won the award. He’s got a great future in boxing and he’s definitely going to become a world champion in his division. Next year, without a doubt, I’m sure he’ll be the boxer of the year winner,” she said.
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